By tradition the tiger is a live Bengal tiger, although the current mascot and his two immediate predecessors are mixed-breeds. Mike V was a Bengal-Indochinese mix, Mike VI was a Bengal-Siberian hybrid,[1] and Mike VII is also a Bengal–Siberian mix.[2]

Born on October 10, 1935, the first Mike was purchased from the Little Rock Zoo with money raised by collecting 25 cents from each LSU student for a total of $750. Originally named Sheik, the new mascot was renamed in honor of Mike Chambers, LSU's athletic trainer at the time, who was the person most responsible for bringing him to the school. (It was later discovered that "Sheik" may have been fond of his original name, because even years later, handlers could get him to roar just by calling "Sheik!") Mike assumed his duties as the living symbol of LSU only three days after arriving on campus on October 21, 1936. In the 1950s, Mike was kidnapped by Tulane fans before a Tiger-Green Wave football game. He was found, and returned safely in New Orleans—he and his cage sprayed Tulane green. Mike I lived for 20 years before dying of kidney disease in 1956. He has been displayed in the LSU Natural Sciences Museum on the campus in Baton Rouge.

A few days after Mike I's death, a resolution endorsing the purchase of another tiger was introduced in the Louisiana legislature and a fund was set up by LSU students to underwrite the cost. Mike II had a short but somewhat mysterious life. He was born on February 28, 1956 at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans and was chosen because his paws were larger than those of the other cubs.[5] He was unveiled on September 29, 1956, during the opening game of the new football season. Legend has it that less than a month after his arrival at LSU, Mike II died of pneumonia, at only eight months of age, during a six-game losing streak and that a second Mike II was secretly brought in as a ringer. To explain Mike's absence, and after much rumor, the LSU student newspaper, The Daily Reveille, printed a statement that the young tiger needed time alone to adjust to his new home and position as mascot, with its attendant excitement. All rumors of Mike II's death and replacement were denied, and the school claimed that he finally adjusted. On May 15, 1958, however, less than two years after his debut, Mike II (or his impostor) died at the Audubon Zoo due to pneumonia,[6] while recovering from multiple fractures to his left rear leg.

Mike III was born on November 26, 1957 and arrived from the Seattle Zoo just in time for LSU's 1958 National Championship football season. During Mike III's 18-year reign, LSU also won three Southeastern Conference football championships (1958, 1961, 1970) and eight of 13 bowl games. Mike III died of old age in 1976[7] after the only losing LSU football season of his lifetime. The mascot's death affected the students and faculty so greatly that the vet at the time, W. Sheldon Bivin, said he would never allow another tiger to die on campus.[8]

Mike IV, originally called Jerry, was born at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida in 1974. He was donated by August A. Busch III and was two years old when he came to LSU in August 1976. One memorable incident involving Mike IV began in the early-morning hours of November 28, 1981 when pranksters cut the locks on Mike's cage. The tiger roamed freely for hours, attacked a small tree, and appeared to be enjoying himself before becoming trapped in the Track Stadium near his cage. Three tranquilizer shots later, the wandering mascot was returned to his home without further incident and awoke without ill effects.[5] Mike IV reigned for 14 years and retired in 1990 to the Baton Rouge Zoo where he lived until his death in 1995 at the age of 21, the oldest of the tigers serving as LSU's mascot.

Mike V was considered to have the best personality of all the tigers that have served as LSU's symbol. Originally named Stevie, he was donated by Dr. Thomas and Caroline Atchison of the Animal House Zoological Park in Moulton, Alabama. Born on October 19, 1989, the 7-pound baby tiger was introduced to LSU fans at a basketball game in February 1990. In his 17-year reign, Mike V saw an LSU football team win another National Championship (in 2003) and received both a new trailer and a massive renovation of his enclosure.

In March 2007, Mike V officially began a three-stage retirement. His personal vet, David Baker, cited his age and health as reasons. Mike V retained his mascot status and lived in his on-campus habitat until his death.

Mike the Tiger died on May 18, 2007 at 2:23 AM, which coincided with the undergraduate commencement ceremonies. The cause of death was renal failure.[9]

After Mike V's death, PETA contacted the university and urged it not to replace him with a new tiger.

However, LSU chancellor Sean O'Keefe rejected PETA's request by stating that LSU would acquire a new tiger. O'Keefe further defended LSU's decision by noting that four of the previous five Mikes lived to be at least 17 years, nearly twice the normal 8–10 year lifespan of tigers in the wild. O'Keefe further explained that tigers were currently a critically endangered species in the wild, and any attempt to preserve them as a species would require some level of raising them in captivity, such as at LSU's veterinary school.[10]

LSU did not wish to buy a tiger but instead sought for one to be donated to the school. On July 27, 2007, WBRZ ABC News 2 announced that LSU had located a tiger at Great Cats of (Idaville) Indiana, an Indiana-based large cat and carnivore rescue facility.[11]

Mike VI

"Roscoe" arrived in Baton Rouge on Saturday, August 25, 2007, after a plane ride from Indiana and was kept quarantined in the "night house" in the LSU habitat, away from the public. On August 31, 2007, LSU officials decided that the tiger was adjusting well and allowed him into the public habitat during morning outings. He was returned to the night house each evening. On his first outing on September 1, 2007, LSU staff invited members of the media and the public to view and take photographs of the tiger.[12][13]

On September 8, 2007, LSU staff acknowledged that "He's Mike VI" in a press release.[14] A ceremony dedicating the tiger as officially "Mike VI" took place on September 14, 2007,[15] Mike VI was to make his Death Valley debut at the September 22 game against the University of South Carolina,[16][17] but LSU Veterinarian David Baker felt that a day game would be rough for the new tiger, delaying his anticipated debut until the October 6, 2007 night game against the University of Florida.[9][18]

By 2015, Mike VI was a 10-year old Siberian-Bengal mix male[19] weighing over 420 pounds. The product of an "unintended breeding" at Great Cats, University staff believed his youth, size and temperament may give the athletic department a "more ferocious mascot much sooner than watching a cub grow up at LSU."[20] Estimates by LSU Veterinary staff were that Mike VI may top out at 600 lb (270 kg) or more, making him LSU's largest tiger mascot ever.[21]

On May 23, 2016, LSU issued a press release stating that Mike VI had been diagnosed with a spindle cell sarcoma, a type of cancer, which later spread.[22] LSU announced on September 6 that despite treatment, the tiger's cancer was terminal, and that he would be expected to live at most two years. Mike VI would remain in his on-campus habitat, and would no longer attend games.[23] On October 5, 2016 it was announced that Mike VI's cancer had returned and spread to his head. Vets at the LSU Veterinarian School announced that he had one to two months to live.[24] Six days later, he was euthanized.[25]

Following the death of Mike VI, LSU issued statements that they intended to seek another tiger to become Mike VII, in a similar manner to previous Mikes: to be donated to the university and not purchased or bred. And like the acquisition of his would-be predecessors, this decision was also met with controversy.[26][27]

On January 19, 2017, LSU announced a timeline concerning searching for and acquiring a tiger to become Mike VII, hoping to have him join an incoming freshman class in August 2017. Additionally, they also announced that the would-be Mike VII would no longer visit the stadium during game days and that they were seeking to have Mike's habitat accredited as a tiger sanctuary. On August 1st, LSU announced that it had located a 9-month-old male Siberian–Bengal hybrid tiger that may become Mike VII; the tiger was donated from a Okeechobee, Florida sanctuary that had changed owners and practices after a prosecution of the previous owner.[28] The tiger, named Harvey, arrived on campus on August 15 to begin a one-week quarantine before officially becoming Mike VII.[29] LSU announced that Harvey had become the official Mike VII on August 21, the first day of classes in the fall semester.[2]

Remains were to be cremated[7] but plans then changed to mount remains (due to medical procedures performed shortly before death and the tiger's advanced age in general, remains were unsuitable for mounting beyond head and shoulders);[41] mounted head and shoulders formerly displayed in Gold Star Trophies, Baton Rouge, Louisiana but now displayed in unspecified private residence[42]

Notes: *—a superstition strongly tied to the line of Mikes is the success of the school's football program (LSU has won national championships during the first seasons of the reigns of Mike I, Mike III, and Mike VI, although the title under Mike I was not a consensus, despite being named champion by multiple selectors); **—contemporary accounts maintain the existence of only one tiger holding the title of Mike II, but modern research indicates the existence of two separate tigers; however, it is not immediately clear precisely when the reign of the first Mike II ended and the second Mike II began.

In 2005, a new $3 million habitat was created for Mike. The Tiger Athletic Foundation (TAF) raised funds, entirely from private sources, to subsidize the construction project. The habitat (situated between Tiger Stadium and the Pete Maravich Assembly Center) features state-of-the-art technologies and includes among its amenities lush plantings, a waterfall, a flowing stream that empties into a wading pond, and rocky plateaus. The habitat ranks among the largest and finest Tiger preserves in the country and expanded Mike's home from 2,000 to 15,000 square feet (1,400 m2). It also features research, conservation, and husbandry programs, as well as educational, interpretive, and recreational activities. Mike's new home can be viewed via the live Tigercam.[51]

Until 2016, on home football game days, Mike's cage on wheels was topped by the LSU cheerleaders as it rode through Tiger Stadium before the start of the game, and was parked by the opponent's locker room at the southeast end of Tiger Stadium, forcing opposing players must pass by Mike's cage in order to reach their locker room (However, Mike is never forced into his trailer: if he does not go in on his own, he remains in his habitat. Mike VI was known for rarely entering his trailer).[52] However, following the death of Mike VI in 2016, LSU announced that future Mikes will no longer leave their habitat.[53]

According to folklore, LSU will score a touchdown for every one of Mike's roars on game day.[54]

Many students seek to take a picture with Mike on graduation day wearing cap and gown.[citation needed]

LSU has a costumed mascot also named Mike. Mike the Mascot appears at LSU sporting events (as the live Mike the Tiger does not leave his habitat as of 2016, and previously did not attend away games for some time) and also appears at several LSU-related functions. In August 2007, Mike the Mascot was featured on a This Is SportsCenter Commercial with LSU alum Shaquille O'Neal.[55]. In 2005, Team Mike was formed by a group of students and has carried on its tradition at LSU. This team of students help Mike get to his games and events on time, help him with his costumes, and bring him to Disney World every January to compete in a mascot competition.[citation needed]. Along with other college mascots, Mike was featured in the Brad Paisley video Country Nation in 2015.

1.
Bengal tiger
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The Bengal tiger is the most numerous tiger subspecies. By 2011, the population was estimated at fewer than 2,500 individuals with a decreasing trend. None of the Tiger Conservation Landscapes within the Bengal tigers range is considered enough to support an effective population size of 250 adult individuals. Since 2010, it is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, by 2010, Bengal tiger populations in India were estimated at 1, 706–1,909. As of 2016, they had increased to an estimated 3,890 individuals. Bengal tigers number around 440 in Bangladesh and 163–253 in Nepal, prior censuses placed the tiger population in Bhutan at around 65–75 individuals. In 2015, it was estimated that 103 Bengal tigers were living in the country, the Bengal, Caspian and Siberian tigers, and lion rank among the biggest cats. It is the animal of both India and Bangladesh. The Bengal tigers coat is yellow to orange, with stripes ranging from dark brown to black, the belly and the interior parts of the limbs are white. The white tiger is a mutant of the Bengal tiger. However, it is not to be mistaken as an occurrence of albinism, in fact, there is only one fully authenticated case of a true albino tiger, and none of black tigers, with the possible exception of one dead specimen examined in Chittagong in 1846. Male Bengal tigers have a total length of 270 to 310 cm including the tail. The tail is typically 85 to 110 cm long, and on average, the weight of males ranges from 180 to 258 kg, while that of the females ranges from 100 to 160 kg. The smallest recorded weights for Bengal tigers are from the Bangladesh Sundarbans, Bengal tigers have exceptionally stout teeth, and the canines are the longest among all living felids, measuring from 7.5 to 10 cm in length. Bengal tigers are defined by three distinct mitochondrial nucleotide sites and 12 unique microsatellite alleles, the pattern of genetic variation in the Bengal tiger corresponds to the premise that they arrived in India approximately 12,000 years ago. Bengal tigers may weigh up to 325 kg and reach a head, several scientists indicated that adult male Bengal tigers from Nepal, Bhutan, and Assam, Uttarakhand and West Bengal in northern India consistently attain more than 227 kg of body weight. Seven adult males captured in Chitwan National Park in the early 1970s had a weight of 235 kg ranging from 200 to 261 kg. Males from northern India are nearly as large as Siberian tigers with a greatest length of skull of 332 to 376 mm, verifiable Sundarban tiger weights are not found in any scientific literature

2.
Mike the Tiger Habitat
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Mike the Tiger is the official live and costumed mascot of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSUs mens and womens teams are called the Tigers and Lady Tigers. LSU has had a tiger mascot on campus since Mike I arrived on campus on October 21,1936. The original enclosure was only 2,000 square feet in size and it had a building and a covered, caged enclosure with logs where Mike could climb and roam. In fall 2001, a grassroots I Like Mike campaign was begun to build Mike the Tiger a new, the first phase of the campaign consisted of placing Tiger trucks accepting donations around LSUs campus during home football games. In addition, collection boxes were placed at all stands in Tiger Stadium. A collection box was placed at Mike the Tigers original enclosure. The next phase involved people donating $100 and having a brick engraved and these bricks were then used in the construction of the walkway around Mikes new habitat. Student organizations as well as the Tiger Athletic Foundations Collegiate Club joined forces to raise funds for the campaign. The $10.00 membership for the TAF Collegiate Club went directly to the I Like Mike campaign, a committee headed by the wife of former LSU Chancellor, DeLaine Emmert and Bill Hulsey was formed to seek additional sponsors for the project. World-renowned Louisiana artist George Rodrigue created a painting which could be purchased for $500 with donations going to the project, in 2005, a new $3 million habitat was created for Mike by Torre Design Consortium, LTD. The habitat features state-of-the-art technologies and includes among its amenities lush plantings, a waterfall, a stream that empties into a wading pond. The habitat has, as a backdrop, an Italianate tower – a campanile – that creates a link to the Italianate architectural vernacular of LSUs campus. The new habitat ranks among the largest and finest tiger preserves in the United States and it also features research, conservation, and husbandry programs, as well as educational, interpretive, and recreational activities. Mike attracts more than 100,000 visitors each year to the habitat, Mike the Tiger Mike the Tiger. com

3.
Mascot
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Mascots are also used as fictional, representative spokespeople for consumer products, such as the rabbit used in advertising and marketing for the General Mills brand of breakfast cereal, Trix. In the world of sports, mascots are used for merchandising. Team mascots are often confused with team nicknames, while the two can be interchangeable, they are not always the same. For example, the teams of the Auburn University are nicknamed the Auburn Tigers. Costumed mascots are commonplace, and are used as goodwill ambassadors in the community for their team, company. It was originally sporting organisations that first thought of using animals as a form of mascot to bring entertainment and excitement for their spectators, before mascots were fictional icons or people in suits. Animals were mostly used in order to bring a different feel to the game. The event that prompted these changes was the invention of the Muppets in the late 1960s, the puppets offered something different to what everyone was used too. It allowed to people to not only have visual enjoyment but also allowed them to interact physically with the mascots, marketers quickly realized the great potential in three-dimensional mascot and took on board the Muppet-like idea. This change encouraged other companies to start creating their own mascots, resulting in mascots being a necessity amongst not only the sporting industry, the word mascot originates from the French term mascotte which means lucky charm. This was used to describe anything that brought luck to a household, the word was first recorded in 1867 and popularised by a French composer Edmond Audran who wrote the opera La Mascotte, performed in December 1880. But didnt enter into the English language until the year after in 1881, however, before this, the terms were familiar to the people of France as a slang word used by gamblers. The term is a derivative of the word masco meaning sorceress or witch, before the 19th century, the word mascot was associated with inanimate objects that would be commonly seen such as a lock of hair or a figurehead on a sailing ship. But from then on until the present day, the term was seen to be associated with good luck animals. Often the choice of mascot reflects a desired quality, an example of this is the fighting spirit. In the United States, controversy surrounds some mascot choices, especially those using human likenesses, Mascots based on Native American tribes are particularly contentious, as many argue that they constitute offensive exploitations of an oppressed culture. However several Indian tribes have come out in support of keeping the names. For example, the Utah Utes and the Central Michigan Chippewas are sanctioned by local tribes, similarly, the Florida State Seminoles are supported by the Seminole Tribe of Florida in their use of Osceola and Renegade as symbols

4.
Louisiana State University
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Louisiana State University is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, LSU is the flagship institution of the Louisiana State University System. In 2015, the university enrolled over 26,000 undergraduate and over 5,000 graduate students in 14 schools, several of LSUs graduate schools, such as the E. J. Ourso College of Business and the Paul M. Hebert Law Center, have received recognition in their respective fields of study. LSUs athletics department fields teams in 21 varsity sports, and is a member of the NCAA, the university is represented by its mascot, Mike the Tiger. Louisiana State University Agricultural & Mechanical College had its origin in land grants made by the United States government in 1806,1811. It was founded as an academy and is still today steeped in military tradition. In 1853, the Louisiana General Assembly established the Seminary of Learning of the State of Louisiana near Pineville in Rapides Parish in Central Louisiana. Modeled initially after Virginia Military Institute, the institution opened with five professors and nineteen cadets on January 2,1860, the original location of the Old LSU Site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. On January 26,1861, after only a year at the helm, the school closed on June 30,1861, with the start of the American Civil War. During the course of the war, the university reopened briefly in April 1863, the losses sustained by the institution during the Union occupation were heavy, and after 1863 the seminary remained closed for the remainder of the Civil War. Following the surrender of the Confederates at Appomattox Court House on April 9,1865 and these cannons had been captured from Confederate forces after the close of the war and had been used during the initial firing upon Fort Sumter in April 1861. The cannons are still displayed in front of LSUs Military Science/Aerospace Studies Building, the seminary officially reopened its doors on October 2,1865, only to be burned October 15,1869. On November 1,1869, the institution resumed its exercises in Baton Rouge, in 1870, the name of the institution was officially changed to Louisiana State University. It temporarily opened in New Orleans, June 1,1874 and this prompted the final name change for the university to the Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College. On June 7,1925, Oscar B, turner, a professor of agronomy, was murdered by an axe-wielding assailant on campus. On April 30,1926, the present LSU campus was formally dedicated, prior to this, LSU utilized the quarters of the Institute for the Deaf, Mute, and Blind. Land for the present campus was purchased in 1918, construction started in 1922, the campus was originally designed for 3000 students, but was cut back due to budget problems

5.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
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Baton Rouge is the capital of the U. S. state of Louisiana and its second-largest city. It forms the seat of East Baton Rouge Parish and is located on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River. As the Capital City, Baton Rouge is the hub for Louisiana. The metropolitan area surrounding the city, known as Greater Baton Rouge, is also the second-largest in Louisiana, the urban area has around 594,309 inhabitants. Baton Rouge is an industrial, petrochemical, medical, research, motion picture. The Port of Greater Baton Rouge is the tenth largest in the United States in terms of tonnage shipped, the Baton Rouge area owes its historical importance to its strategic site upon the Istrouma Bluff, the first natural bluff upriver from the Mississippi River Delta. This allowed development of a business quarter safe from seasonal flooding, in addition, the city built a levee system stretching from the bluff southward to protect the riverfront and low-lying agricultural areas. The city is a rich center, with settlement by immigrants from numerous European nations. It was ruled by seven different governments, French, British, and Spanish in the era, West Floridian, United States territory and state, Confederate. Human habitation in the Baton Rouge area has been dated to 12000 –6500 BC based on evidence found along the Mississippi, Comite, earthwork mounds were built by hunter-gatherer societies in the Middle Archaic period, from roughly the 4th millennium BC. Eastern Muskogean began to diversify internally in the first half of the 1st millennium AD, at the time, the region appeared to be occupied by a collection of moderately-sized native chiefdoms interspersed with autonomous villages and tribal groups. French explorer Sieur dIberville led a party up the Mississippi River in 1699. The explorers saw a red pole marking the boundary between the Houma and Bayogoula tribal hunting grounds, see also Red Sticks for the ceremonial use of red sticks among the Muscogee. The location of the red pole was presumably at Scotts Bluff and it was reportedly a 30-foot-high painted pole adorned with fish bones. The settlement of Baton Rouge by Europeans began in 1721 when a military post was established by French colonists. Since European settlement, Baton Rouge has been governed by France, Britain, Spain, Louisiana, the Republic of West Florida, the Confederate States, and the United States. In 1755, when French-speaking settlers of Acadia in Canadas Maritime provinces were driven into exile by British forces, popularly known as Cajuns, the descendants of the Acadians maintained a separate culture. During the first half of the 19th century, the city grew steadily as the result of steamboat trade, Baton Rouge was incorporated in 1817

6.
Indochinese tiger
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The Indochinese tiger is a tiger subspecies occurring in Myanmar, Thailand, Lao PDR, Viet Nam, Cambodia and southwestern China. The largest population survives in Thailand estimated at 189 to 252 individuals. There are 85 individuals in Myanmar and only 20 Indochinese tigers remain in Viet Nam and it is considered extinct in Cambodia. The tigers in peninsular Malaysia, formerly classified as Indochinese, have recently been reclassified as a separate subspecies, the Indochinese tiger is generally smaller than Bengal and Siberian tigers. Males range in size from 2.55 to 2.85 m, females range in size from 2.3 to 2.55 m and in weight from 100 to 130 kg. These recorded weights are respectively similar to those of male and female Asiatic lions and its head is smaller than of the Bengal tiger, the ground coloration is darker with more rather short and narrow single stripes. The Indochinese tiger is distributed in Myanmar, Thailand and Laos, protected areas in this region include Pakke Tiger Reserve and Namdapha National Park in Arunachal Pradesh. In Myanmar, presence of tigers was confirmed in the Hukawng Valley, Tamanthi Wildlife Reserve, more than half of the total population survives in the Western Forest Complex in Thailand, especially in the area of the Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary. This habitat consists of tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests and it has not been recorded in Vietnam since 1997. Available data suggest that there are no more breeding tigers left in Cambodia, Viet Nam, in China, it occurred historically in the Yunnan province and Mêdog County in the countrys southwestern part, where tigers probably do not survive any more today. One was killed and eaten by five villagers in 2009, Indochinese tigers live in forests, grasslands, mountains and hills. They prefer mostly forested habitats such as rainforests, evergreen forests, deciduous forests. Forests provide camouflage, and hunting grounds that fit their lifestyle, the above figures were collected during a meeting of the International Tiger Forum, held in St. Petersburg, Russia, on 21–24 November 2010. Participants included representatives of 13 tiger range countries, the Indochinese tiger is a solitary animal. Due to its elusive behavior it is difficult to be observed and studied in the wild, Indochinese tigers prey mainly on medium- and large-sized wild ungulates. Sambar deer, wild pigs, serow, and large bovids such as banteng, some prey species, such as the kouprey and Schomburgks Deer, are extinct, and Elds Deer, hog deer, and wild water buffalo are present only in a few relict populations. In such habitats, tigers are forced to subsist on smaller prey, such as deer, porcupines, macaques. Small prey by itself is sufficient to meet the energy requirements of a large carnivore such as the tiger

7.
Siberian tiger
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The Siberian tiger, also called Amur tiger is a tiger subspecies inhabiting mainly the Sikhote Alin mountain region with a small population in southwest Primorye Province in the Russian Far East. The Siberian tiger once ranged throughout all of Korea, north-eastern China, Russian Far East, in 2005, there were 331–393 adult and subadult Siberian tigers in this region, with a breeding adult population of about 250 individuals. The population had been stable for more than a decade due to conservation efforts. By 2015, the Siberian tiger population had increased to 480–540 individuals in the Russian Far East, a more detailed census revealed a total population of 562 wild Siberian tigers in Russia. This tiger subspecies was also called Korean tiger, Manchurian tiger, the Siberian tiger and Bengal tiger subspecies rank among the biggest living cats. An average adult male Siberian outweighs an average adult male lion by around 45.5 kg, a comparison of data on body weights of Siberian tigers indicates that up to the first half of the 20th century both males and females were on average heavier than post-1970 ones. Todays wild Siberian tigers are smaller than Bengal tigers, the Siberian tiger is reddish-rusty, or rusty-yellow in color, with narrow black transverse stripes. The body length is not less than 150 cm, condylobasal length of skull 250 mm, zygomatic width 180 mm and it has an extended supple body standing on rather short legs with a fairly long tail. It is typically 5–10 cm taller than the Bengal tiger, which is about 107–110 cm tall, the largest male, with largely assured references, measured 350 cm over the curves, equivalent to 330 cm between the pegs. The tail length in fully grown males is about 1 m, weights of up to 318 kg have been recorded and exceptionally large males weighing up to 384 kg are mentioned, but no such cases are confirmed. Mazák indicates the weight range of Siberian tigers as 180–306 kg for males. Exceptionally large individuals were targeted and shot by hunters, an unconfirmed report tells of a male tiger shot in the Sikhote-Alin Mountains in 1950 weighing 384 kg with an estimated length of 3.48 m. In some cases, captive Siberian tigers reached a weight of up to 465 kg. The average tail measures 99 cm in males and 91 cm in females, the longest male measured 309 cm in total length and had a chest girth of 127 cm. The longest female measured 270 cm in length and had a chest girth of 108 cm. These measurements show that the present Amur tiger is generally longer than the Bengal tiger, the data used include weights of tigers that were older than 35 months of age and measured in the presence of authors. Historical Siberian tigers and Bengal tigers were the largest ones, whereas contemporary Siberian tigers are lighter than Bengal tigers, a male captured by members of the Siberian Tiger Project weighed 206 kg, and the largest male radiocollared weighed 212 kg. The skull of the Siberian tiger is characterized by its large size and it differs in the structural features of the lower jaw and relative length of nasals

8.
LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers
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The LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers are the athletic teams representing Louisiana State University, a public four-year coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU competes in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association as a member of the Southeastern Conference, LSU fields teams in 21 varsity sports. The 9 mens teams play baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, swimming & diving, tennis, indoor track & field, and outdoor track & field. The 11 womens teams play basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, indoor track & field, outdoor track & field, LSU athletics has many traditions associated with its sports programs. Based on winning percentage, the athletics program is consistently one of the best in the nation. LSU has also won 47 team national championships, placing them 5th all-time in total national championships, traditional rivals in football include long running rivalries with the Ole Miss Rebels and Tulane Green Wave. More current football rivalries include the Alabama Crimson Tide, Arkansas Razorbacks, Auburn Tigers, Florida Gators, Mississippi State Bulldogs and its official team nickname is the Fighting Tigers, Tigers or Lady Tigers. The Lady Tigers nickname is used only in sports that have teams for men and women—specifically basketball, cross country, golf, swimming & diving, tennis. In 1955, the LSU fourth-quarter club added the word Fighting to the nickname thus becoming Fighting Tigers, the nickname was first coined in 1896 after an undefeated football season. The nickname is a throwback to the Civil War fame of a New Orleans infantry company and they fought so fiercely in General Robert E. Lees Army of Northern Virginia that they, and eventually all other Louisiana troops, became known as Louisiana Tigers. The schools mascot is Mike the Tiger and the school colors are royal purple. Keeping with the French/Cajun character of South Louisiana, LSU support can be seen by its spelling of Go Tigers as Geaux Tigers. LSU sponsors teams in nine mens and twelve womens NCAA sanctioned sports,43 were bestowed by the NCAA, as the NCAA does not award college football national championships at the Division I FBS level. LSU ranks in a tie for sixth all-time in total NCAA championships, ^ The NCAA does not award a national championship in Division I FBS football. Instead, polls were used to determine national champions, in this case, the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll, the two biggest selectors at the time, awarded LSU the national championship. This championship is not recognized by the NCAA because the championship was won without participating in an NCAA recognized event or tournament, ^^ The NCAA does not award a national championship in Division I-FBS football. In 1998 major Division I-FBS conferences came together to create the Bowl Championship Series in an effort to establish a legitimate national champion. LSU won the 2003 BCS national championship and the 2007 BCS national championship and these championships are not recognized by the NCAA because the championships were won without participating in an NCAA recognized event or tournament

9.
Tiger Stadium (LSU)
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Tiger Stadium, popularly known as Death Valley, is an outdoor stadium located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on the campus of Louisiana State University. It is the stadium of the LSU Tigers football team. Prior to 1924, LSU played its games at State Field. Tiger Stadium opened with a capacity of 12,000 in 1924, when filled to capacity, Tiger Stadium ranks as the fifth largest city by population in the state of Louisiana. Tiger Stadium is well known nationally for having among the best game day atmospheres in college football as well as being one of the most difficult places for a team to play. Despite being 14–2 at Tiger Stadium, famed Alabama head coach Bear Bryant once remarked that Baton Rouge happens to be the worst place in the world for a visiting team and its like being inside a drum. In 2001, ESPN sideline reporter Adrian Karsten said, Death Valley in Baton Rouge is the loudest stadium Ive ever been in, in 2002, coach Terry Hoeppner said of Tiger Stadium, Thats as exciting an environment as you can have. We had communication problems we havent had at Michigan and Ohio State, in 2003, ESPNs Chris Fowler called LSU his favorite game day experience. In 2009 former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee stated on Sean Hannitys Fox News show that Unfair is playing LSU on a Saturday night in Baton Rouge. More recently, in 2007, ESPN named Tiger Stadium the scariest place to play, saying that Tiger Stadium is, by far, the loudest stadium in the country. In 2009, ESPN writer Chris Low listed Tiger Stadiums Saturday night atmosphere as unsurpassed in the country, in 2016, Tiger Stadium was again ranked No.1 out of the conferences 14 stadiums by USA Today writers Laken Litman & Steven Ruiz. LSU prefers night games in Tiger Stadium with its opponents, the university is conflicted between maximizing its potential to win and needed advertising revenues from television coverage. In 2008, as Alabama narrowly defeated LSU, Wright Thompson of ESPN. com described Tiger Stadium as the best place in the world to watch a sporting event, in 2013, the NCAA ranked Tiger Stadium as the loudest stadium in all of college football. 3-ranked Ole Miss Rebels played the No, 24-ranked LSU Tigers on October 25. After the Tigers held the Rebels to only 7 points in a 10–7 victory, Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace stated and this is the craziest place Ive played. With an official seating capacity of 102,321, Tiger Stadium is the ninth-largest stadium in the world by capacity and it is the sixth-largest stadium in the NCAA and the third-largest in the Southeastern Conference, behind Kyle Field at Texas A&M University and Neyland Stadium at Tennessee. The stadium opened in 1924 and originally seated 12, 000—the lower half of the current facilitys grandstands on the east and west sidelines, in 1931,10,000 seats were added to the existing grandstands. In 1936 capacity was more than doubled with 24,000 seats in the end zone

10.
Confederate States of America
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The Confederate States, officially the Confederate States of America, commonly referred to as the Confederacy, was a breakaway country of 11 secessionist slave states existing from 1861 to 1865. It was never recognized as an Independent country, although it achieved belligerent status by Britain. A new Confederate government was established in February 1861 before Lincoln took office in March, after the Civil War began in April, four slave states of the Upper South – Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina – also declared their secession and joined the Confederacy. The government of the United States rejected the claims of secession, the Civil War began with the April 12,1861, Confederate attack upon Fort Sumter, a Union fort in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina. In spring 1865, after four years of fighting which led to an estimated 620,000 military deaths, all the Confederate forces surrendered. Jefferson Davis later lamented that the Confederacy had disappeared in 1865, Missouri and Kentucky were represented by partisan factions from those states, while the legitimate governments of those two states retained formal adherence to the Union. Also fighting for the Confederacy were two of the Five Civilized Tribes located in Indian Territory and a new, but uncontrolled, Confederate Territory of Arizona. Efforts by certain factions in Maryland to secede were halted by federal imposition of law, while Delaware, though of divided loyalty. A Unionist government in parts of Virginia organized the new state of West Virginia. With the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1,1863, the Union made abolition of slavery a war goal, as Union forces moved southward, large numbers of plantation slaves were freed. Many joined the Union lines, enrolling in service as soldiers, teamsters and laborers, the most notable advance was Shermans March to the Sea in late 1864. Much of the Confederacys infrastructure was destroyed, including telegraphs, railroads, plantations in the path of Shermans forces were severely damaged. Internal movement became increasingly difficult for Southerners, weakening the economy and these losses created an insurmountable disadvantage in men, materiel, and finance. Public support for Confederate President Jefferson Daviss administration eroded over time due to repeated military reverses, economic hardships, after four years of campaigning, Richmond was captured by Union forces in April 1865. Shortly afterward, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant, President Davis was captured on May 10,1865, and jailed in preparation for a treason trial that was ultimately never held. The U. S. government began a process known as Reconstruction which attempted to resolve the political and constitutional issues of the Civil War. By 1877, the Compromise of 1877 ended Reconstruction in the former Confederate states, Confederate veterans had been temporarily disenfranchised by Reconstruction policy. The prewar South had many areas, the war left the entire region economically devastated by military action, ruined infrastructure

11.
Louisiana
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Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Louisiana is the 31st most extensive and the 25th most populous of the 50 United States and its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the state in the U. S. with political subdivisions termed parishes. The largest parish by population is East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana is bordered by Arkansas to the north, Mississippi to the east, Texas to the west, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. Much of the lands were formed from sediment washed down the Mississippi River, leaving enormous deltas and vast areas of coastal marsh. These contain a rich southern biota, typical examples include birds such as ibis, there are also many species of tree frogs, and fish such as sturgeon and paddlefish. In more elevated areas, fire is a process in the landscape. These support a large number of plant species, including many species of orchids. Louisiana has more Native American tribes than any other state, including four that are federally recognized, ten that are state recognized. Before the American purchase of the territory in 1803, the current Louisiana State had been both a French colony and for a period, a Spanish one. In addition, colonists imported numerous African people as slaves in the 18th century, many came from peoples of the same region of West Africa, thus concentrating their culture. Louisiana was named after Louis XIV, King of France from 1643 to 1715, when René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle claimed the territory drained by the Mississippi River for France, he named it La Louisiane. The suffix -ana is a Latin suffix that can refer to information relating to an individual, subject. Thus, roughly, Louis + ana carries the idea of related to Louis, the Gulf of Mexico did not exist 250 million years ago when there was but one supercontinent, Pangea. As Pangea split apart, the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico opened, Louisiana slowly developed, over millions of years, from water into land, and from north to south. The oldest rocks are exposed in the north, in such as the Kisatchie National Forest. The oldest rocks date back to the early Tertiary Era, some 60 million years ago, the history of the formation of these rocks can be found in D. Spearings Roadside Geology of Louisiana. The sediments were carried north to south by the Mississippi River

12.
Robert E. Lee
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Robert Edward Lee was an American general known for commanding the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War from 1862 until his surrender in 1865. During this time, he served throughout the United States, distinguished himself during the Mexican–American War, during the first year of the Civil War, Lee served as a senior military adviser to President Jefferson Davis. Once he took command of the field army in 1862 he soon emerged as a shrewd tactician and battlefield commander, winning most of his battles. Lees strategic foresight was more questionable, and both of his major offensives into Union territory ended in defeat, Lees aggressive tactics, which resulted in high casualties at a time when the Confederacy had a shortage of manpower, have come under criticism in recent years. Lee surrendered his army to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9,1865. By this time, Lee had assumed command of the remaining Southern armies. Lee rejected the proposal of an insurgency against the Union. He urged them to rethink their position between the North and the South, and the reintegration of former Confederates into the political life. Lee became the great Southern hero of the War, an icon of the Lost Cause of the Confederacy to some. But his popularity even in the North, especially after his death in 1870. Barracks at West Point built in 1962 are named after him, Robert Edward Lee was born at Stratford Hall Plantation in Westmoreland County, Virginia, to Major General Henry Lee III, Governor of Virginia, and his second wife, Anne Hill Carter. His birth date has traditionally been recorded as January 19,1807, one of Lees great grandparents, Henry Lee I, was a prominent Virginian colonist of English descent. Lees family is one of Virginias first families, descended from Richard Lee I, Esq. the Immigrant, Lees mother grew up at Shirley Plantation, one of the most elegant homes in Virginia. Lees father, a planter, suffered severe financial reverses from failed investments. Little is known of Lee as a child, he spoke of his boyhood as an adult. Nothing is known of his relationship with his father who, after leaving his family, mentioned Robert only once in a letter. In 1811, the family, including the newly born child, Mildred, moved to a house on Oronoco Street, still close to the center of town. In 1812, Harry Lee was badly injured in a riot in Baltimore